Spinach and Liverwurst Dip

How many different ways can you eat or serve a German liverwurst or liver sausage besides in a cold sandwich with freshly sliced onions, maybe a few lettuce leaves, and mayo or mustard dressing?

This type of German sausage is not too versatile or flexible like any other kind of sausage because of the depth of its flavor as it is made from liver and other organ meat (offal) which generally has a mushy texture too.

One time I tried to use the liverwurst as substitute for liver pate since the former is more available in most supermarkets and local grocery stores than the latter. And since I have about a cup much left in the fridge and it needs to be used before it gets bad; I had to experiment with this recipe.

To my surprise, it turned out quite well. I’m glad I didn’t put any salt since the liverwurst is salty enough already. But I could have taken out the garlic and mushroom to scale down the ingredients. I could have used canned spinach and just mix everything together then refrigerate it so I didn’t have to sauté. The addition of pickled jalapeno gave it a slightly spicy taste, which I really like but that too is optional.

Maybe next time I could use the liverwurst in another dip appetizer recipe with maybe Hawaiian flavor and add pineapple chunks and see how it tastes. I like going out of the box and explore possibilities.

Thank you for reading and happy cooking ❤

SPINACH & LIVER SAUSAGE DIP
Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients
* Liverwurst or liver sausage – 1 cup, low-fat
* Cream Cheese – 8 oz. box, low-fat
* Mayonnaise – ½  cup
* Fresh spinach – 1 bag (or 1 canned spinach)
* Onion – 1 small (diced)
* Celery – 1 cup (diced)
* Lemon zest – 2 tbsp.
* Olive oil – 2 tbsp. (for sautéing)
* Spices:  ½ tsp. each
(dried mustard, parsley, black pepper, paprika, thyme, oregano)
* Garlic – 3 cloves (minced, optional)
* Mushrooms – 1 cup (chopped, optional)
* Pickled Jalapeno – 2 tbsp. (optional)

Cooking Instructions
1. Gather and prep all the ingredients.
2. Microwave the liver sausage for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
3. Sautee garlic, onion, mushroom and celery they caramelize.
4. Add in the liver sausage and simmer for 10 minutes under medium heat.
  

5. Add the pickled jalapeno and spinach.
6. Turn heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the spinach wilt.
  

7. In a separate bowl, whip together cream cheese and mayonnaise.
8. Whisk in lemon zest and liver sausage mixture.
9. Do not add any salt; the liver sausage is salty enough.
10. Serve as appetizer or dip with crackers or (unsalted) tortilla or corn chips.